Adjusting to life with young adults

I worked at an outdoor event this past weekend for the State. This was our third year participating in the event, and it was a wet one!
I think I am coming down with a cold now.

Again, I've started to realize more and more that my 'babies' are growing up. Hubby was working evening last week, but I needed to be away from the house for both Thursday and Friday night - therefore leaving the boys alone. Not for overnight, but until Hubby arrives home sometime around 1 am. I was nervous about this, naturally, and when I called them to check in on Thursday night, the A-man told me to relax - they were fine.

When I was 16, my parents would leave me at home for entire weekends because I had taken a part time job and they didn't want to give up their weekends at the trailer for me to stay home and work for $3.00 an hour. At that time, I didn't think anything of it. I would spend the days with my friends and/or boyfriend, then I would go to work for my shifts. Often times I would be done work around 11:30, midnight, and I would walk home. Many times I walked home - sometimes my boyfriend would pick me up if he wasn't working at his restaurant-based job. I lived quite a distance from where I worked, and I thought nothing of walking that distance by myself at that time of night.

There is no way I would allow either of my sons to do that! I know I was never frightened of making that journey, but I guess timse have changed quite a bit in the past 25 years. The town is still a 'small' town, but I am pretty sure I wouldn't allow my sons to do that.

Either way, I need to start getting my head around the fact that they are old enough to spend some time without a parent at home. They can both cook, and they are responsible enough to ensure that doors are locked, lights are off, etc., etc., etc.

When did my babies turn into wee adults?